French Open ‘will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete’ after Wimbledon backlash

Last week Wimbledon announced that Russian and Belarusian players were to be banned from this years tournament, however they may not face the same problems at the French Open next month. 

Last week, The All England Club (AELTC) and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced that due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete at grass-court events in the United Kingdom, which includes Wimbledon.

The sanctions mean that the US Open champion and world number two Daniil Medvedev and world number four Aryna Sabalenka are not currently able to compete.

In addition to these top seeds, there are three more Russian men in the top 30 of the ATP rankings, and six Russian and Belarusian players in the top 32 of the WTA rankings who would have been seeds at Wimbledon.

The announcement has sparked widespread debate and controversy, with many current players, coaches and legends of the game slamming the decision.

World number one Novak Djokovic labelled the sanction as “crazy” whereas Russia’s Andrey Rublev branded the ban as “discriminatory”.

Alternatively, former British number one Andrew Castle has given his support for the ban calling for “unity”.

The ATP and WTA have both condemned the decision, with the two governing bodies meeting in Madrid to discuss their response to Wimbledon’s announcement – with the hopes of turning Wimbledon into an ‘exhibition event’.

However Roland Garros is set to oppose Wimbledon’s ban and allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete according to RMC Sport

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